JPH11262343A - Cooling device of aquarium for ornamental fish - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the cooling device of an aquarium for ornamental fishes, capable of automatically controlling the temperature of aquarium water at a proper temperature. SOLUTION: This cooling device of an aquarium for ornamental fishes is provided with an outer box 6 and a cooling member 7 embedded in the outer box 6 in a state that the upper surface of the cooling member 7 is exposed. An aquarium water flow route communicating with a circulation flow route is formed between the inside surface of the outer box 6 and the outside surface of the cooling member 7, and a Peltier element 8 is disposed on the upper surface of the cooling member 7.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a cooling device for aquarium fish tanks.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When rearing appreciation fish, especially tropical fish,
The temperature of the aquarium water needs to be maintained at about 24-28 ° C.

[0003] Conventionally, there is a warming device equipped with a heater or the like, which automatically controls the temperature of the aquarium water in the above-mentioned range even in winter or the like. There was no temperature control.

[0004] Despite tropical fish, it is difficult to inhabit the environment when the water temperature is, for example, 35 ° C. or higher, and breeders have to replace the cold water with new low-temperature water when the water temperature is high.

[0005]

However, when the breeders are away for a day or leave the house for a long period of time, the temperature of the aquarium water may reach 40 ° C. or higher in summer.

As described above, most of the appreciation fish can hardly survive when the water temperature rises to 35 ° C. or higher. Therefore, if such a rise in temperature occurs, the tropical fish are already dead when returning home. So for the breeders,
Preventing a rise in aquarium water temperature has been a major issue.

An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device for an aquarium for aquarium which can solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, an aquarium water is provided in the middle of a circulation channel for circulating aquarium water in an aquarium for aquarium fish, and has an increased temperature. A cooling device for an aquarium fish tank that cools and maintains a constant temperature, the cooling device includes an outer box, and a cooling body whose upper surface is exposed and embedded in the outer box. ,
A water tank water flow path communicating with the circulation flow path was formed between the inner surface of the outer box and the outer surface of the cooling body.

That is, the aquarium water whose temperature has risen is efficiently cooled by the cooling body while passing through the narrow aquarium water flow path, and can be automatically controlled to have a temperature suitable for appreciation fish. Therefore, in summer or the like, there is no danger that the temperature of the aquarium water will rise due to erroneous temperature management and the appreciation fish will die.

In the present invention, the cooling body is a metal ingot, and a Peltier element is provided on an upper exposed surface of the ingot. Therefore, the mass of the cooling body increases, the heat capacity increases, and the cooling body can be cooled by the Peltier element to efficiently cool the aquarium water.

Further, in the present invention, the metal ingot is made of aluminum. Therefore, heat capacity can be increased with aluminum having relatively high specific heat among metals, and it is easy to use because it is inexpensive.

Further, in the present invention according to claim 4, a heat radiating portion in which a number of fins are juxtaposed is disposed above the Peltier element. Therefore, cooling of the heat generation side of the Peltier element can be promoted to enhance the cooling effect of the tank water.

According to the present invention, a fan for blowing air toward the fins and the Peltier element is disposed above the heat radiating portion. Therefore, the heat radiation efficiency is further increased, and the cooling effect is also increased.

According to the present invention, the cooling device partitions the inside of the closed cooling box with a large number of fins.
A plurality of parallel flow passages respectively communicating with the circulation flow passages in parallel were formed between the fins, and a Peltier element was arranged on the upper surface of the cooling box. Therefore, the water in the aquarium shunts into each of the parallel channels in the cooling box cooled by the Peltier element, and is effectively cooled while passing through each of the parallel channels.

According to the present invention, the parallel flow passage formed at the center of the cooling box is provided with a resistor for adjusting the flow rate with the parallel flow passage formed at the end. Was.
Therefore, a certain amount of aquarium water flowing into the cooling box
As a result, the flow is divided into a large number of parallel flow passages, each of which is substantially the same, thereby increasing the cooling efficiency.

According to the present invention, at least the upper surface and the fins of the cooling box are made of aluminum. Therefore, the heat transmission efficiency is increased, and the water in the aquarium can be effectively cooled.

[0017]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention is provided in the middle of a circulation channel for circulating aquarium water for an aquarium for breeding fish for raising tropical fish, goldfish, etc. A cooling device for an aquarium fish tank, wherein the cooling device comprises an outer box, and a cooling body having an upper surface exposed and embedded in the outer box, and an inner surface of the outer box. A water tank water flow path communicating with the circulation flow path is formed between the water tank and the outer surface of the cooling body.

Further, in the present embodiment, a circulating pump is provided in the middle of the circulation flow path, a temperature control device and a power supply device are provided, and a filter or the like is provided in the middle of the circulation flow path. Equipment is provided.

Further, the cooling body of the cooling device is a metal, preferably an aluminum ingot, and a Peltier element is disposed on an upper exposed surface of the ingot, and the Peltier element can be energized from the power supply unit. doing.

With this configuration, the mass of the cooling body is increased to increase the heat capacity, and the cooling body is cooled by the Peltier element, so that the cooling effect is high and the water in the aquarium can be efficiently cooled. it can. Moreover,
Aluminum has a relatively high specific heat among metals,
The heat capacity can be made larger than that made of another metal, and it is easy to use because it is inexpensive.

In order to enhance the cooling effect, it is preferable that the aquarium water flow path through which the aquarium water flows has as narrow a passage width as possible.

Further, it is preferable to dispose a heat radiating device having a large number of fins arranged side by side above the Peltier element. With such a heat radiating device, it is possible to promote the cooling of the heat generation side of the Peltier element and to further enhance the cooling effect of the tank water.

Further, a fan for blowing air toward the fins and the Peltier device can be provided above the heat radiating device. With such a fan, the heat radiation efficiency can be further increased, and the cooling effect is also enhanced.

In another embodiment, the cooling device partitions the inside of the closed cooling box with a large number of fins, and includes a plurality of parallel flow paths between the fins, each of which communicates in parallel with the circulation flow path. And a Peltier element can be arranged on the upper surface of the cooling box.

That is, the water in the aquarium is divided into a number of parallel flow paths provided in the cooling box cooled by the Peltier element, and is effectively cooled while passing through each of the parallel flow paths.

In this case, a resistor for adjusting the flow rate with the parallel flow passage formed at the end may be provided in the parallel flow passage formed at the center of the cooling box.

By the action of the resistor, a certain amount of aquarium water which has flowed into the cooling box is divided into small amounts of substantially the same amount, so that the cooling efficiency can be improved.

It is preferable that at least the upper surface and the fins of the cooling box are made of aluminum for the above-mentioned reason.

[0029]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of a cooling device (hereinafter referred to as a cooling device) A for an aquarium fish tank according to the present embodiment, FIG.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a use state of the cooling device A.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a water tank for breeding appreciation fish f such as tropical fish and goldfish.
Detects the temperature of the aquarium water 10 stored in the aquarium 1 and, when the temperature exceeds a preset temperature suitable for the habitat of the appreciation fish f, detects such temperature rise and automatically cools and sets the temperature. The temperature is maintained.

As shown in the figure, the cooling device A includes a water tank 10.
A circulation pump P is provided in the middle of the circulation pipe 2 having a water intake port 20 and a water discharge port 21 extending therein to form a circulation flow path R for the aquarium water 10. A cooling unit 3 which is a main part of the present invention, and a purifying unit 4 provided with a filter made of activated carbon, nonwoven fabric or the like are provided downstream of the cooling unit 3.

The cooling unit 3 is connected to a temperature control device 5 and a power supply device D. The temperature control device 5 has a water temperature setting function for setting the temperature of the water tank water 10 to a desired temperature, and an actual water tank water supply function. A control unit (not shown) having a water temperature control function for driving the cooling unit 3 based on the detection result by detecting the temperature with the water temperature sensor 50 is built in.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the cooling device A can be mounted on the upper surface of the water tank 1, and no special mounting space is required. In FIG. 2, the power supply device D
Are arranged side by side in the water tank 1, but may be placed on the upper surface of the water tank 1 as in other configurations. D1 is a power cord.

Here, the cooling section 3 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 3, the cooling section 3 is formed by laminating a cooling section main body 30, a heat radiating section 31, and a fan 32 in this order from the bottom, and as shown in FIG. Unit body 30
Are an inflow port 61 and an outflow port 62 which are in communication with the circulation pipe 2.
And a cooling body 7 buried in the outer box 6 with its upper surface exposed.

Then, the cooling body 7 is formed slightly smaller than the outer box 6 and circulates between the inner side of the outer box 6 and the outer side of the cooling body 7 as shown in FIGS. Forming a narrow aquarium water flow path R1 which forms a part of the flow path R;
Is connected to the circulation pipe 2.

That is, the cooling body 7 is formed by an ingot made of aluminum into a shape substantially similar to the outer box 6.
A flange portion 73 that engages with an engagement portion 63 provided on the upper side of the inner surface of the outer box 6.
Is formed at the periphery of the upper surface, is buried in a state of being suspended and supported in the outer box 7 (FIG. 5), and the water tank water flow path R1 is sealed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a Peltier element 8 is provided on the upper exposed surface of the cooling body 7 made of such an ingot.
And the cooling body 7 can be cooled by the Peltier effect.

In this embodiment, the Peltier element 8 is
The two Peltier elements 8, 8 are connected to the power supply device D so that power is supplied.

With this configuration, when power is supplied to the Peltier devices 8, 8, a small current flows through the contact surface between the lower surfaces of the devices 8, 8 and the upper surface of the cooling body 7, thereby generating a Peltier effect of absorbing heat. In addition, the cooling body 7 can cool the tank water 10 flowing through the tank water flow path R1 by removing heat.

In this embodiment, since the cooling body 7 is made of aluminum ingot, its mass is large, its heat capacity is increased, the cooling effect is enhanced, and the water in the aquarium can be efficiently cooled.

Moreover, since aluminum has a relatively high specific heat among metals, its heat capacity can be made larger than that formed of another metal, and it is inexpensive, so that it is easy to use and the cooling device A itself can be manufactured at low cost. be able to.

Further, the aquarium water flow path R1 through which the aquarium water 10 flows
Has a narrow passage width as described above, so that the cooling effect is further enhanced.

The heat radiating section 31 disposed above the cooling section main body 30
Is formed by arranging a number of fins 31a side by side, as shown in FIG. 4, via a frame body 33 made of a silicon resin molded to be elastically deformed to the same thickness as the Peltier element 8. Mounted and fixed.

By providing such a frame 33 along the peripheral edge of the upper surface of the cooling body 7, no gap is formed between the cooling section main body 30 and the heat radiating section 31.

Further, a fin is provided above the heat radiating portion 31.
A fan 32 for blowing air toward 31a and the Peltier elements 8, 8 is provided. In the present embodiment, the fan 32 is
Two are provided to correspond to 8,8.

With the above configuration, the heat radiation efficiency from the heat generating surface of the Peltier element 8 can be further improved, and at the same time, the cooling effect of the water tank 10 can be improved.

As described above, according to this embodiment, when the breeder is away for a day or leaving the house for a long period of time, the water temperature of the aquarium, which is said to be less likely to survive in the summer, is 35 Even if the temperature rises above ℃, it is automatically cooled to an appropriate temperature (for example, 25 ℃ to 27 ℃), and there is no danger of killing the appreciation fish f.

As a modification of the present embodiment, for example, the number of the Peltier elements 8 and the number of the fans 32 can be appropriately changed according to the capacity of the water tank 1.

In some cases, the radiator 31 and the fan
Either or both of them may be removed.

The shape of the cooling unit main body 30 is not limited to a rectangular shape, but may be a circle or the like. A water tank water flow in which the water tank water 10 smoothly flows between the cooling body 7 and the outer box 6 is also possible. It is sufficient that the road R1 is formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the cooling section 3 may be surrounded by a decorative case 3a or the like so as to improve the appearance. In this case, the decorative case 3a is provided with a slit or the like to provide an internal appearance. It is necessary to add a means for preventing the temperature from rising.

(Second Embodiment) Next, a cooling device A according to a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the structure of the cooling section 3, especially the cooling section main body 30.

As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the cooling device A according to this embodiment has a Peltier device 8 on the upper surface of the cooling unit main body 30.
And the heat dissipating part 31 and the fan 32 are arranged via the frame 33 in the same basic configuration as in the first embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 2, the cooling unit main body 30 is composed of a sealed rectangular cooling box 9, the cooling box 9 is partitioned by a number of fins 90, and a circulation flow path R is provided between the fins 90. Parallel flow paths R2 each communicating in parallel with the circulation pipe 2 of
Is formed. Reference numerals 91 and 92 denote an inlet and an outlet, which are provided to face the cooling box 9 and are connected to the circulation pipe 2.

At least the upper surface of the cooling box 9 and the fins 90 are made of aluminum for the reason described in the first embodiment so as to enhance the cooling effect of the tank water 10.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, a resistor 94 is formed on the fin 90 near the center of the many fins 90.

That is, by providing the resistor 94, the flow rate with the parallel flow path R2 formed at the end can be adjusted, and the flow rate in each parallel flow path R2 is made substantially uniform.
It is designed to make the flow of 10 smooth. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the tank water 10 flowing from the inflow port 91 is divided into a large number of parallel flow paths R2.
10 will flow and the cooling efficiency will be higher.

In the present embodiment, the number of the Peltier elements 8 and the number of the fans 32 are not limited at all, and any one of the heat radiating section 31 and the fan 32, or
Both may be removed.

[0060]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an aquarium fish tank is provided in the middle of a circulation channel for circulating aquarium water,
A cooling device for an aquarium fish tank that cools water whose temperature has risen to maintain a constant temperature, the cooling device comprising: an outer box; and a cooling device embedded in the outer box with its upper surface exposed. Body, and a water tank water passage communicating with the circulation flow passage is formed between the inner surface of the outer box and the outer surface of the cooling body, so that the temperature of the water rises through the water passage. During this time, it is efficiently cooled by the cooling body, and can be automatically controlled to a temperature suitable for the appreciation fish. Therefore, in summer or the like, there is no danger that the temperature of the aquarium water will rise erroneously and the aquarium fish will die.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the cooling body is a metal ingot and the Peltier element is disposed on the upper exposed surface of the ingot, the cooling body has a large mass and a large heat capacity. Such a cooling body can be cooled by the Peltier element to efficiently cool the water in the aquarium.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the metal ingot is made of aluminum, the heat capacity can be increased with aluminum having a relatively high specific heat among metals, and it is easy to use because it is inexpensive. .

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by disposing a heat dissipating portion having a large number of fins juxtaposed above the Peltier element, cooling of the heat generation side of the Peltier element is promoted and the cooling effect of the water in the aquarium is improved. Can be enhanced.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a fan for blowing air toward the fins and the Peltier element is provided above the heat radiating portion, so that the heat radiating efficiency is further improved and the cooling effect is also improved.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in the cooling device, the inside of the closed cooling box is partitioned by a number of fins, and a plurality of parallel flow paths respectively communicating with the circulation flow path in parallel between the fins. Formed, further, by arranging a Peltier element on the upper surface of the same cooling box, the tank water is diverted to each parallel flow path in the cooling box cooled by the Peltier element,
It is effectively cooled while passing through each parallel flow path.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the parallel flow path formed at the center of the cooling box is provided with a resistor for adjusting the flow rate with the parallel flow path formed at the end. ,
A certain amount of aquarium water that has flowed into the cooling box is divided into a large number of parallel flow paths, each of which is approximately the same little by little, thereby increasing the cooling efficiency.

In the present invention, since at least the upper surface and the fins of the cooling box are made of aluminum, the heat transfer efficiency is increased, and the water in the aquarium can be cooled effectively.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a water tank cooling device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement state of the cooling device.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a cooling unit of the cooling device.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the cooling unit.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of a cooling unit main body.

FIG. 6 is a plan sectional view of a cooling unit main body.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating a cooling unit of a cooling device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the cooling unit.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a cooling unit main body.

FIG. 10 is a plan sectional view of a cooling unit main body.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A Cooling device R Circulation flow path R1 Water tank water flow path 1 Water tank 2 Circulation pipe 3 Cooling unit 6 Outer box 7 Cooling unit 8 Peltier element 10 Tank water 30 Cooling unit main body 31 Heat radiating unit 32 Fan

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A cooling device for an aquarium fish tank, which is provided in the middle of a circulation channel for circulating aquarium water in the aquarium fish tank and cools the aquarium water whose temperature has risen to maintain a constant temperature. The cooling device comprises an outer box, and a cooling body having an upper surface exposed and embedded in the outer box, wherein the circulation flow is provided between an inner surface of the outer box and an outer surface of the cooling body. A cooling device for an aquarium fish tank, wherein a water tank water flow path communicating with a road is formed. 2. A cooling device for an aquarium fish tank according to claim 1, wherein the cooling body is a metal ingot, and a Peltier element is provided on an upper exposed surface of the ingot. 3. The cooling device for an aquarium according to claim 2, wherein the metal ingot is aluminum. 4. The cooling device for an aquarium fish tank according to claim 2, wherein a heat radiating portion having a number of fins arranged in parallel is disposed above the Peltier element. 5. The cooling device for an aquarium according to claim 4, wherein a fan for blowing air toward the fins and the Peltier element is disposed above the heat radiating portion. 6. A cooling device, wherein the inside of a closed cooling box is partitioned by a large number of fins, and a plurality of parallel flow passages respectively communicating with the circulation flow passages in parallel are formed between the fins.
2. The cooling device for an aquarium fish tank according to claim 1, wherein a Peltier element is provided on an upper surface of the cooling box. 7. A parallel flow passage formed in the center of the cooling box,
7. A cooling device for an aquarium fish tank according to claim 6, further comprising a resistor for adjusting a flow rate with a parallel flow path formed at an end portion. 8. The cooling device for an ornamental fish tank according to claim 6, wherein at least the upper surface and the fins of the cooling box are made of aluminum.